ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 11, 1996 TAG: 9605130038
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
THEY MAY NOT BE well-known, but three Republicans are seeking the right to challenge Rep. Rick Boucher this fall. The GOP will pick one today.
Republican leaders in the 9th District speak of a high excitement level but a low-key atmosphere when talking about today's convention to choose an opponent to Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, in November.
Up to 500 Republicans are expected to gather in Wytheville to select their warrior for an admitted David and Goliath battle.
The three candidates are: Barnes Kidd, a businessman and former state legislator from Tazewell County; Patrick Muldoon, an engineer-turned-law student from Giles County; and Thomas DeBusk, who works in Virginia Tech's university relations office.
While 9th District GOP Chairman Gary Waddell professes excitement about the interest in the nomination, other Republicans say it hasn't attracted enthusiasm or issue-oriented debate.
"It's been incredibly low-key," said Dave Nutter, head of the Montgomery County GOP, a DeBusk supporter.
Nutter said none of the three has great name recognition across the district that stretches from Big Stone Gap to western Roanoke County, but "I would say most people know who the candidates are," and a little about each.
Candidates have sent mailings and appeared at mass meetings and other events throughout the district.
"This contest is going to be less about issues ... than who's going to be the better candidate to run against Boucher," Nutter said.
He believes the race is between Kidd and DeBusk, as both are well-known. Muldoon is a political newcomer who is "capable but not well-known in the district," Nutter said.
Waddell says he is "just tickled to death" that three candidates have emerged in a bid to unseat Boucher, a 14-year incumbent.
"That says our party is moving in the right direction," as it's usually difficult to find even one strong candidate, Waddell said.
Waddell sees strengths in all three contenders:
nKidd, 52, has state legislative experience. Kidd narrowly lost his House seat last fall to Marion lawyer John Tate. In 1993, Kidd had gained the seat by upsetting a 12-year incumbent.
nMuldoon, 30, established an engineering career, then turned to law school and became interested in the political arena.
nDeBusk, 31, worked in Steve Fast's unsuccessful congressional campaign in 1994 and knows the district well. He is vice chairman of the Montgomery County Republicans.
"I feel really good that whoever we nominate ... I can just get behind and work myself to death for," Waddell said.
Hard work might not be enough, according to Tom Morris, a political scientist and president of Emory & Henry College in Washington County.
"They're pretty low-visibility people," Morris said of the GOP contenders. Kidd has held a legislative seat, but he also lost it; Muldoon and DeBusk "have no real political stronghold within their community. It is obvious, unless the Republican nominee can generate substantial funds, there's no way the individual can be competitive."
Morris estimates the GOP candidate would need at least $250,000 to mount an aggressive campaign.
In 1994, Boucher outspent Fast more than 3-to-1 and won 59 percent of the vote.
Morris said the 9th District Republicans had their best chance to defeat Boucher in 1994, when there was no presidential election and "a strong Republican trend was running across the nation."
In November, "they're facing a very strong incumbent who will be running with a president" who has a high approval rating, even in Southwest Virginia, Morris said. "The bottom line is that the Republicans in the 9th District squandered a golden opportunity two years ago."
Boucher maintains broad-based support by staying in touch with his constituents, Morris said, and is able to gain support for projects that help his district. He is good at communicating those successes to voters through mailings.
Morris said the greatest threats to Boucher would be a national trend against Democrats or Boucher's ending up on the wrong end of hot-button issues such as gun control and tobacco sales.
"Thus far, he has managed to be on the right side of those two issues" as far as his constituents are concerned, Morris said. "It's difficult to find a Southern congressman of the moderate to liberal stripe who has been more successful than he has ... and the Republicans are understandably frustrated."
Boucher will be renominated today in Abingdon at the Democrats' 9th District convention.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESSby CNB